Behind the Lone Star: Institute of Texan Cultures

Cowboy boots, spurs, and cattle quickly come to mind when people think about the Lone Star State. But who are Texans, really? This surprising San Antonio museum explores the 26 diverse cultures that settled Texas. The people of the world came to Texas, and all of them did not become cowboys.

The Buffalo as Barter System

?The buffalo is emblematic of Texas movement. For the nomadic Plains Indians, the buffalo was the walking embodiment of the barter system. It represented food, shelter and medicine on their journeys.

Trailside Dining

Life on the range in Texas was made easier by cooks and their chuckwagons. For Texans making a living driving cattle 1000 miles to the nearest Kansas railheads, this service was crucial to their very existence.

Sharecropper's Cabin

This sharecropper's cabin once stood in Navasota, Texas, a cotton growing area on the Brazos River. It was built in the early 1900s.

Early Gas-powered Tractor

Japanese farmers arrived in East Texas in the early 1900s to grow rice. Escaping their overcrowded homeland, they brought with them centuries-old traditions. Japanese rice farmers in Texas were among the first to adopt the gasoline powered tractor.

Texas Folklife Festival

The Annual Texas Folklife Festival brings the many cultures of Texas to life in a vibrant way. It’s an “exhibit” you can taste, smell, hear and dance to!